Fated Circle
by JenkiMimay
Summary: Post FF VIII. How did Ultimecia come to exist? Explores the ties between Squall, Rinoa, and the destined events around them. Squinoa, Selvine, ZellGWP
1. Chapter 1: Mixed Emotions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, it's characters, places, etc. As such I am receiving no profit for my nonetheless brilliant ideas. I know, it's a shame. R&R, constructive criticism is welcome, but if you're going to flame me please do it in a private forum.**

**Ladies and Gentlemen, for your enjoyment:**

**Fated Circle**

**Prologue**

"I'm so excited!" The eager brunette exclaimed as she jumped happily into the air, emerald eyes glittering like the dew that still clung to the green grass. The dress she wore was sleeveless, ended about mid-thigh, and was the yellow color of the daffodils that lined the edge of the Quad where they had all gathered at her request. "This is going to be so much _fun_!"

Besides Selphie, four others had arrived so far. The tallest of the group, Irvine Kinneas put both hands in the pockets of his long jacket as he leaned back against the tree and took a good look at his companions. Standing nearby, blue-eyed Quistis was watching Selphie intently, giving her all the attention she probably wished she'd gotten during her time as an instructor. Raven haired Rinoa was sitting on a concrete bench to Irvine's left, legs extended straight out in front of her. Her warm brown eyes were looking down at her booted feet, which were moving earnestly back and forth. Sitting cross-legged beside her was Zell, notorious for his martial arts skills and outspoken nature. He had a tattoo running down the left side of his face who's story Irvine had yet to learn, but had decided was very cool all the same.

"Let me get this straight," Zell said, in a pure display of his outspoken nature. "Headmaster Cid wants us to throw _ourselves_ a party for our victory over Ultimecia?"

Quistis cocked her head to the side, evaluating. "That's mostly coincidental really. Selphie's the head of the Garden Festival Committee, and we've all assisted the committee in the past."

"Hey! Being on the Garden Festival Committee is fun!" Selphie scolded them, threatening them all with her fists.

"They didn't mean it like that, Selphie." Rinoa assured with a wry smile.

Zell scratched his head. "What we meant was that we should be the guests of honor, not the hosts."

"Well, we'll just have to be the Guests of Honor, and the hosts!"

"That's the spirit Sefie." Irvine tipped his hat at her.

The short girl jumped in excitement. "C'mon guys, this is going to be a BLAST!"

The other two girls chuckled at the spunky brunette's usual happy demeanor. Rinoa jumped earnestly to her feet, leaning forward and looking up at Selphie from behind her dark bangs as she spoke. "So what can we do to help?"

-------------------------

The walls were a cold gray, the kind of color that wears on you out of sheer boredom. It had no vibrancy, or texture, Not even a stain that could keep one's mind occupied for just a _little_ while. It was clean, he'd give it that. From the steel-reinforced outer walls to the cold blue cement floor. Every single inch of it. Immaculate. The white sheets on his small cot were washed weekly, and even the freaking toilet was clean. It was insulting. Enraged, he let out a yell as he stood, throwing his mattress violently against the wall.

It wasn't right the way they treated him. If he were holding himself prisoner he would have tortured himself for information several times already. Yet the guards didn't even so much as bad-mouth him, or show any indication that they so desperately wanted to. (And he knew they did---who wouldn't?) Then again, by now Esthar already had all the information they needed, didn't they?

"Damn Estharians!" He said, kicking the mattress with his right foot. "Damn you Laguna!"

"You have the power to change yourself for the better." Laguna shook his head at him. "Right now, your future looks dark, but you can change that, Seifer. Change yourself and maybe you can change your future. Who knows. If there's a chance you could get yourself out of here someday, wouldn't it be worth taking?"

Seifer froze. (_'Change the future.') _Right now he was safe here in his cell, miserable as it was. Fujin had told him in her last letter that nobody was sure what to do with him, that a case like his was unprecedented. A chill ran up his spine. "Yeah, and go where? To a cell in Balamb, or death row in Galbadia? President Loire, you're too smart to believe that you're the one with all the cards here. Balamb might give me a break-- especially if I can get Headmaster Cid on my side--but you and I both know that a trial in Galbadia would certainly mean the death penalty."

"There's no question about that." Laguna's dark-skinned aide crossed his arms as he responded. "They're ready to throw you there without so much as a trial, and I can't blame them."

Laguna tucked his hands into his pockets, looking into the cell soberly. "Everybody deserves a trial."

Seifer closed his eyes in quiet speculation. "Galbadia's winning, aren't they?"

Ward nodded, but it was Kiros who spoke."At the moment they have you on charges of treason, and---"

Seifer's roar and the sound of a mattress hitting metal cut his statement dreadfully short…

-------------------------

"What do you think about this one?" Selphie asked, randomly pulling one of the many accumulated sample invitations that had been placed in a small shoebox. She was sitting on her knees in her room in the Garden's dormitory. Intolerably plain, Selphie had tried to decorate the small bedroom as much as possible during the past few months. A pink and yellow flowered bedspread brightened up the dull white room, and her desk and walls were adorned with photos of her friends from Trabia (with one or two pictures she'd gathered from the FH concert scattered about).

"Too yellow." Rinoa said as she crouched down opposite her, her light blue duster trailing on the ground behind her. She picked out another invitation, lifting it nonchalantly up for Selphie to see. "How's this?"

"Too blue!" Selphie replied, causing them both to chuckle.

"Well, we're never going to get anywhere like this." Rinoa laughed, and her warm brown eyes glittered. "Let's compromise."

Selphie's emerald eyes scanned the cards for a moment before she jubilantly discovered an invitation that featured both blue and yellow. "Here we go!"

"Too informal. We might want to try one with the Balamb Garden Insignia on it." Quistis commented sadly with a shake of her head as she walked in and closed the door. "Headmaster Cid's just raised the bar for us, and invited a bunch of political leaders. It makes sense though considering that there's a big press conference in Timber scheduled the next day…"

**Chapter One:**

**Mixed Emotions**

It was a nice day, the late sun beating warmly down on Balamb Garden. Leaning on the railing of the second floor balcony, Squall Leonhart welcomed the slight breeze that came his way. It was cool and refreshing, containing just enough power to ruffle the white fur on his jacket. The exhilarating sound of birds in flight came to his ears, and dark-rimmed blue-gray eyes tracked their flight. In his mind he was flying with them, soaring through the clear blue sky.

Squall closed his eyes as a fresh breeze came up to taunt him, and heard the distinct pattern of clipped booted footsteps behind him. Squall frowned, as he was thrust back into reality, where he was the Commander of Balamb Garden--a position he'd never asked for, but hadn't exactly refused--and always had some duty to attend to.

(_It drives me nuts.) _Squall thought glumly. (_Then again, so does Rinoa, and she's the best thing in my life.)_

The last thought brought a twinge of a smile to his face.

"Commander." Xu said, and he could hear her almost snapping to attention behind him. He shook his head at the thought. "Headmaster Cid sent me to ask if you have your report finished. Everybody else has already turned theirs in."

"It's on my desk, Xu." he said as he turned to face her, suppressing the urge to massage his eyes in annoyance. It had been just two weeks since his return from the time compressed world in which he had, with the help of his friends, defeated Sorceress Ultimecia. Since then, Squall had done everything in his power to avoid turning in that report, which he'd ironically written as soon as he'd recovered enough to do so. "Would you mind bringing it to him for me? I have matters to attend to."

Xu nodded, suppressing a smile. "Of course. Oh, and before I go, the headmaster wanted me to make sure you're coming to the Celebration Ball."

(_I forgot about that.) _"Tell him I'll be there." Squall lied after a moment. Xu smiled inwardly at his discomfort, saluted and left. (_Damn. I'm not in the mood for diplomacy right now.)_

Squall turned sharply when he heard another pair of footsteps behind him. He sighed inwardly. Over the course of the last few months he had hardly had a moment to himself when he wasn't sleeping. Irvine and Zell were approaching. Could have been much worse he supposed. It could have been paperwork approaching with a vengeance.

Irvine smiled wryly, and offered him a drink.

"So you are coming? Great!" Zell exclaimed excitedly, as he carried over a tray of hotdogs. "That saves us a lot of trou--"

"No I'm not." Squall replied as he accepted the drink from Irvine. He raised an eyebrow at the cowboy and tried to change the subject. "Isn't it against Garden policy to have these up here?" He pointed to the drinks. Irvine shrugged and tipped his hat. (_Same old Squall. Always by the book.)_

Zell scratched his head, obviously perplexed. "But didn't you just have Xu tell the headmaster--"

"I didn't need Cid on my case over a damn party." Squall explained, leaning back to sit on the railing.

"Why are you trying to avoid a party being thrown for us?" Irvine wondered aloud. "Anyone else would jump at the opportunity. Hell, we all are."

"Because it's only political formality, Irvine." Squall answered. "Cid will be using us as bragging rights and political leverage while all night long throwing us from diplomat to diplomat. Trying to open up negotiations _here_, bullshitting _there_. I'm not a diplomat. I'm a _soldier_. I don't see the point."

Zell bit viciously into a hotdog. "To tell you the truth I'm not seeing your point either."

"Look, I'll give you three reasons why you should go."

Squall raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Irvine stuck a finger up. "One: the place is going to be absolutely swarming with hot girls." he raised a second one. "Two, girls _love_ war heroes. And three, the party's going to be swarming with girls who love war heroes."

"I still don't see my reason for going."

"Nah, but I think I've found mine." Zell hooted.

"Whatever." Squall massaged his eyes. "Look, you guys go and have fun. I have a ton of paperwork to do anyway."

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The next day, when he was standing at attention inside the Headmaster's office, it became apparent why Squall had consciously neglected to turn in his report, and why he absolutely hated politics. He and Quistis had been called down over the Garden P.A. system just after breakfast hours, for reasons unknown. She had arrived before him, but Cid rose as Squall entered, and adjusted his glasses.

"Commander Leonhart, It's good to see you up and about again." The seventeen year old commander saluted, keeping his eyes on the headmaster. "Based upon your report, I can see we have our young Sorceress to thank for that."

"Yes sir." Squall said, frowning deeply. If Rinoa had been present, he knew she would have been upset by Cid's reminder. She hated being a Sorceress, often acting as if her power never existed.

The older man seemed suddenly fragile. "Squall, am I right to hope that you've forgiven Edea then?"

Squall closed his eyes and nodded, then opened them and sent a look the headmaster's way to show him that not all his grudges had been forgotten. He still remembered well how Cid had left at the first sign of trouble to hide behind his wife at their home in the Centra region. "I believe what Matron told us at the orphanage. She did what she needed to protect us."

Quistis nodded her agreement. "We appreciate all Matron has done for us."

"But you haven't brought us here to discuss your wife." Squall was quick to point out.

Cid placed his hands in his pockets and looked the pair over. "As you both already know, there's a press conference scheduled in Timber tomorrow morning." They both nodded, and the older man continued, "Squall, I assume you've already gone over some of the questions the journalists might ask, and have begun to formulate your statement. Quistis, I want you to be his assistant for the remainder of the day. The two of you are to swap notes and see what you can come up with."

Quistis nodded, contemplative. "Representatives from Galbadia and Esthar will be there as well?" Cid nodded. "So Laguna---President Loire will be there. Who's going to be representing Galbadia, now that their leadership is in shambles?"

Cid shrugged helplessly. "There are at least four factions fighting for the Presidency, but we anticipate General Caraway to be there." Squall's frown deepened, and Quistis gave him a look of surprise. "He seems to be the only person of rank who is neutral at this time."

There was a long pause, before Squall replied. "I don't trust Galbadian security."

"I agree," Cid remarked dryly. "You're the Commander, feel free to put together a team. President Loire has already informed us that he's bringing a security team of his own, along with is two aides."

Squall turned to Quistis questioningly. "You up for it?"

The blond mulled it over. "Oh why not, it's only a couple of hours out of our vacation anyway." Squall's cobalt eyes showed his gratitude. "I'm sure the others will share my sentiment." she added, before she turned and left. Squall turned to leave as well, but Cid stopped him.

"Squall, wait." The young commander turned back to the headmaster tiredly. "I finished reading your report."

Squall was silent, and weary by all appearances. _(Damnit) _After a tense moment he asked, "Is there something wrong with it, sir?"

"No, I…it's just, I've read through all the reports of the final battle: Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, and Irvine Kinneas', and I've noticed that despite the fact that you lead the team--and that you were inside the 'time compression' the longest--you've given no further detail as to what occurred inside."

"Sir, I've given you all the details of the mission."

"Except for what happened after the others left." Cid pointed out. "Why didn't you leave with them?"

"I followed Ultimecia to make absolutely sure that we had defeated her."

"Followed her?" Cid asked intrigued. "_Followed _her where?"

"Squall frowned deeply, raising a hand to massage his eyes. How could he tell him about the Fated Circle? How would Cid react if Squall told him that he had followed Ultimecia back to the orphanage? That he was the soldier that had been there when the sorceress had taken her dying steps up the orphanage stairs, toward Edea. When the Matron had absorbed the Sorceress' powers to protect her children, a younger Squall among them. How would he react if Squall told him everything?

He couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone.

"I followed her to the end of the platform." He lied behind his dark bangs. "She died there…in peace." He glared at Cid once more. "But I couldn't find a way out."

"And that's when Miss Heartilly returned?"

"That's right."

"Squall, I need to know that you're telling me everything--"

"_I_ wouldn't let you down, sir!" Squall bit back harshly, causing Cid to blink. He bit down on his lip, unused to being so insubordinate, but he wasn't about to let Cid forget that it wasn't Squall who abandoned Balamb Garden when it needed him most. And with that he left for the training room.

He needed to let out some steam before Quistis caught up with him.

---------------------------------

It was early the next morning as Zell ran down the hallways towards the library, a place he'd been frequenting more and more. He had to hurry, not just because he was nearly missing a meeting because his alarm clock had failed to go off, but because his whole reason for suggesting they hold it there was going to be off-shift in about a half hour. He stopped to take a breath before walking in the door.

On the other side of the library Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa were conversing silently as they waited for him. Apparently Squall and Quistis were held up again. "Heeey! Sorry I'm late guys." Zell apologized to his friends. "My alarm didn't go off this morning."

"No problemo Zell!" Selphie replied. "We were just working out some party-planning kinks anyways."

"Selphie's got the whole event all planned out." Irvine said in awe, letting out a dreamy sigh. "Isn't she just amazing!"

"Squall and Quisty couldn't meet us this morning." Rinoa sighed. Zell knew a part of what she was feeling. All of them had been running everywhere, seemingly without a break since they'd returned from the time-compressed world. If he thought he was stressed out, he couldn't imagine how they felt. "I think I'm just going to march up to Cid's office and demand that he give us all the rest of the day off…"

"Best of luck." Selphie replied, sulking.

Irvine responded sadly, leaning back in his chair. "At least we have the next week off."

"Yeah." Zell said, scratching the back of his head. "Remind me to personally thank Xu and Nida for stepping in for us."

"Hey Zell," Selphie's eyes danced. "Don't forget to personally thank Xu and Nida for stepping in for us."

"Very funny." The blond replied sheepishly. Across the room, something caught his eye. It was a girl wearing a student's uniform, her dark brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. "Hey Rinoa, could I talk to you for a minute? I could use some...uh…advice."

"Of course Zell."

-----------------------------------

"Can you hand me those books over there?" The girl with the pigtail asked as she leaned on the counter behind which two other Library Committee members were working. Her friend smiled as she reached over to get them for her.

"Look who's here." She said, teasingly nodded towards the back of the room.

The girl with the pigtail graciously accepted the books before turning to look. "Oh." she smiled, and raised a hand to cover one of her blushing cheeks. She zoned out for a minute as she watched the pale SeeD stand up. One of the girls that had been sitting with him stood up and followed, and the two began to converse privately. Her heart sank as she watched them. "That's not his--his--" she couldn't get the word out. Her tongue refused to say it outright. She turned back to her friend who was staring at her curiously. "Is it?"

"No..." She thought about it a moment. "I think that if he had a girlfriend I would have heard about it."

Relief flooded through her, and she couldn't quite suppress her smile. "Better get back to work." she said scanning the books in her hands leaving her friend to take care of a student at the counter. The books in her hands all belonged in the 'fantasy' section, and she headed towards the back of the library to put them away. Just within perfect proximity to her blond crush.

---------------------------

"Hey Rin…" Zell started as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was uh, wondering if you could give me some advice."

"I'll try my best." Rinoa replied, rubbing her right hand along her left forearm.

"Well, you see, there's this girl.."

"Oh." Rinoa's raised a hand to cover a giggle. "Sorry. Please continue." She waved her hand at him in a gesture that he should go on.

"Anyway, there's this girl who works on the library committee that I'd really like to get to know…"

"No wonder you asked for us to meet here." Rinoa smiled, as she looked around suspiciously at each of the four library committee members who were working. She asked him which one it was, and he shyly pointed out a girl standing by the counter. A moment earlier when two of the girls at the counter were conversing, she couldn't help but notice that they kept sending off glances in their general direction. One in particular was trying to cover up a blush. The one that Zell had pointed out.

Zell slumped as his efforts to look inconspicuous were thwarted by Rinoa's curiosity. "I wanted to ask her to the celebration tonight but…"

"You should definitely ask her." Rinoa encouraged him with a wink of her brown eyes. "Just be yourself, there's no way she'll turn you down, trust me."

"You really think so!" Zell's chest puffed out in confidence.

"Without a doubt." Rinoa chuckled and gave him a small shove in the right direction. "Go for it Zell."

The martial artist looked around for a moment before he spotted his target on the opposite end of the library. She was placing books back on the shelves while answering a question from a student. As he took his first few steps forward he watched her point the younger student towards the section labeled 'fiction', and then return back to her work. She was so pretty, with her dark brown hair and eyes, and a small frame. She was so shy, but she made up for that with the consideration she showed to others. It made him wonder if she could ever really handle being around someone as voluble as he is.

Suddenly Zell's resolve failed. _What if Rinoa's wrong? What if she turns me down? Maybe she thinks I'm just a stupid dumb ass, or just that I'm loud and obnoxious like everyone else does? What if she doesn't like my tattoo? Or… maybe the other Library Committee members told her about my favorite color being pink? Oh man, why did I have to tell them that! I should have lied and said it was blue! If she turned me down I'd be making a fool out of myself in front of everybody…_

_What if my breath smells like hot dogs and she catches one whiff of it and runs…!_

Nervous as he was, Zell Dincht was not one to give up without trying. He'd go through with this, even if it meant making a fool out of himself. Again. "Hey…how's it going?" he asked, approaching her from behind.

She jumped, and her books fell from her hands as she turned to face Zell in surprise. She blushed, as all eyes fell momentarily on her. "Oh…Z…Zell." She said kneeling down to pick up the books.

"I'm sorry!" Zell replied, earnestly pulling a book out of his back pocket. "Actually I came to return the book you brought to me in Balamb. Thanks, I um… I usually don't sit around and read much but this book was really awesome!"

"You really think so?" She asked bashfully as she placed the books in her hands onto the shelf. "I'm so g-glad you feel that way! Here, let me take care of this for you."

Zell smiled, and then reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "That was really cool of you to come all the way to Balamb to bring that to me, and I've uh…hmm…I've been thinking about what you've said."

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass y…you--"

"No, you don't understand. When I was reading that book, I _did _find myself thinking about you! Not a little, but a _lot! _And that got me thinking… and I…um…" He scratched his blond head. "I was wondering if you're busy tonight?"

The girl with the pigtail blinked in surprise. Her blush returned at full strength, and to Zell's infinite gratitude she smiled shyly. "N…No. M…My classes are over and I'm f-free for the night."

"Great!" Zell replied, blushing as he raised his fist in victory. "Then would you uh…would you like to join me tonight at the celebration? I mean, it's formal and all, and I know it might be hard for you to get a dress at such short notice, but…"

"I-I should be able to find something to wear in time." she replied bashfully. "Are you sure you want to go with _me _though…? I mean…"

"I'm POSITIVE." Zell told her. "Just one question first though."

"Of course." she responded curiously.

"This is going to sound really strange, but what's your name?!"


	2. Chapter 2: Leverage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, it's characters, places, etc. As such I am receiving no profit for my nonetheless brilliant ideas. I know, it's a shame. R&R, constructive criticism is more than welcome, but if you're going to flame me please do it in a private forum. **

**Author's Notes: Warning, this chapter contains pleasant mental images and comedic relief. Anybody who cannot handle either should just quit reading the story. That's right, I mean you in the back with the lack of humor. You know who you are.**

**Ladies and Gentlemen, for your reading pleasure:**

**Fated Circle**

**Chapter Two:**

**Leverage**

"Irvy Kinneapoo! You can't go in there like _that_!" The spunky Selphie exclaimed as Irvine walked down the hall towards her in his red-striped Galbadian Garden Sudent Uniform--and a cowboy hat.

"What, did I spill something on my jacket?" he asked worriedly. They were all being put in the spotlight tonight as the elite team of heroes that they were. He hurriedly checked the crimson trim of his jacket for any signs of stains as he stopped in front of Selphie.

"No, it's the cowboy hat, silly!" She said as she jumped to pull the hat off of her taller companion. She giggled. "You look different without your hat on."

"Different?" he asked, unsure of whether it was a good or bad thing. He decided to stick with bad on this one. He moaned. "C'mon Sefie, give it back."

"Can't." Selphie exclaimed, calming down slightly. "There's a no hat rule. Don't you worry Irvy! I'll make sure nobody mistakes it for a punch bowl!"

Irvine paled. The thought of his precious cowboy hat being used to serve drinks made him sick, but he decided not to share this with Selphie. "So what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Trying to make sure everything's set up properly." She responded. "But mostly trying to find a punch bowl." Her emerald eyes gleamed up at him.

"Funny," he replied, longing to tip his cowboy hat and move in for the kill. "So is that what you think you'll be doing all night?"

"That _is_ what I'll be doing all night, silly."

"Oh, I don't think so." Irvine said, taking her by the arm. "You look _way _too fine in that uniform to hide behind a punch bowl. The rest of the committee can take care of it for you, Sefie."

Irvine and Selphie entered the ballroom arm in arm, both smiling, both nervous. The huge ballroom was stunning, especially to someone who had never seen it before. Irvine was in awe of it, from the large marble tiles on the floor to the high pillars along the perimeter of the room. It was both elegant yet comforting at the same time.

"I don't see Quisty, Rinny, or Zell." Selphie said as she scanned the room.

"Or Squall." Irvine muttered.

"Woohoo, there's a big turn out though!" Selphie bounced in excitement. (_That's my Sefie, making the best of a bad situation.) _"Oh look, there's Quisty! She's over there---talking to Headmaster Cid, and Matron. And there's Nida and Xu! I can't believe how many people actually came!"

Irvine slipped an arm around her shoulders, causing her to stiffen. (_Damn.)_ Irvine thought. (_Bad move…)_ But Selphie surprised him with her cheerful smile.

Irvine smiled what was possibly the biggest smile of his lifetime and raised his hand as if shooting into the air. "Let's go dance them all right off the floor, Sefie!"

-----------------------------------

Warm beads of water fell onto his head and shoulders: the droplets cascading down his bare chest and back. The steam helped to loosen his tense muscles, and Hyne knew how much he needed to relax. Turning the water off he stepped out of the shower and used a fresh towel to dry the moisture from his body before wrapping it around his waist. Finally, Squall opened the door to leave the bathroom--and froze.

From where she was sitting on his bed, dark-haired Rinoa gave him a quick once-over before meeting his gaze. It wasn't until she winked at him that Squall had the bashful realization that he was standing in front of her in nothing but a towel. Rinoa on the other hand was all dolled up, wearing the two-tone cream-colored party dress that she had worn the day he had met her. A chain held the two rings that she always wore around her neck, and she wore a bracelet on her left wrist. She looked beautiful, but at the moment the only thing he could really comprehend was that as they stared silently at each other he was standing in front of her half-naked. Finally Rinoa laughed. He raised a hand, and she recoiled in mock-pain before turning around--all smile-- to give him some privacy.

"You'd better hurry up and get changed if you don't want to be too late for the party." she chuckled, holding her hands playfully behind her back. His uniform was laid out neatly on his bed, just waiting for him to put it on. He shook his head, partly out of exasperation but mostly because he was amused: Rinoa was standing between him and his everyday clothes.

"I wasn't planning on going to the party." he replied as he picked up his uniform pants, and pulled them on. "I'll just sit this one out and let everyone else take the credit for once. Besides, this whole 'SeeD Victory Party' is just a political formality anyway. Headmaster Cid will just be using us as bragging rights and political leverage." Squall frowned in thought. He quickly put on his white wife-beater and his uniform pants, and finally satisfied that he was adequately clothed, told her that it was alright to turn around.

Rinoa tried to make herself look serious as she turned to face him and raised her right hand. "I Rinoa, hereby swear to save you from any 'political formalities' that Cid might throw at you this evening." She leaned towards him and clasped her hands behind her back. She tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him. "Better?" She asked. Squall frowned. _(Now that I think about it my excuses are pretty lame…)_

"You know Squall," Rinoa looked down as she kicked her right foot against the carpet. "Just because you're back at the Garden doesn't mean that you have to put on this whole 'lone wolf' act. Not for me." She paused, and continued to examine the floor innocently. "But if that's what you want then I guess I'll just have to stick around and bug you all night--"

"And you're going to keep chanting 'party, party, party' and drive me nuts?" Squall shook his head, and rolled his eyes as he reached past her for his uniform jacket, and walked out into the common-room that he shared with Zell and Irvine. "Forget it, I'll go."

"Is that a smile I see on your face, Squall?" Sure, politics would inevitably come up, but the grin on Rinoa's face was enough to make it all worth while. _(I'll go for you Rinoa.)_

---------------------------

"Yo Squall! Rinoa!" Rinoa stifled a giggle when she saw Zell waving at them from across a crowd near the door. Squall shook his head as the excited blond made his way none too gently through the crowd with what he assumed to be Zell's date. She was a slender girl, who's timid behavior seemed so familiar. Of course, Irvine and him _had _eavesdropped on her and Zell when she had brought him a book at the Balamb Hotel about two months ago.

"Squall you're here! Never doubted you Rinoa." Squall looked down at his companion. Her dark brown eyes twinkled with mischief.

_(Am I really that predictable?) _Squall frowned and changed the subject. "Who's this?"

Zell smiled. "Guys, this is Melinda Miller. Melinda, these are my good friends Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly."

"Pleasure to meet you Melinda." Rinoa replied for them both.

"Nice to meet you Commander, Miss Heartilly."

"Just call me Rinoa." The dark haired girl smiled, taking her stiff date by the arm. "And knucklehead here would rather be called Squall."

Squall raised an eyebrow at Rinoa. _(Knucklehead? Why is she toying with me?) _

"Of course." was Melinda's timid reply.

"Oh he-ey!" Selphie exclaimed as she approached with Irvine. Both were dressed in their SeeD uniforms. Zell introduced Melinda to everyone as Quistis joined the group, and he explained that Melinda was a member of the Library Committee, and a fourth year student. Everyone wished her good luck on her SeeD exam. Zell then started to tell her the story of his SeeD exam, and how his squad had been made up of Squall, some anonymous bastard (Seifer)who nearly got them killed--and himself.

Irvine stood behind Zell, acting out every word the blond said with exaggerated mimicry. "…and he kept calling me a chicken wuss, the stupid bast---" Quistis couldn't hold the laughter in anymore, surrendering Irvine to Zell's mercy. Zell turned around, fist raised angrily to find the cowboy in mid-cluck. Irvine had to leap back to avoid his fist. "What the hell man!?!" Zell's eyes burned with rage, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Whoa there." Irvine leveled his hands out in front of him, asking the martial artist to calm down. "Down boy! Sit!" Even nervous Melinda had to stifle a laugh. This made Zell blush in even more..

"Irvine?" Quistis asked, giving him the once over. "What happened to your hat?" Irvine slumped sadly, his energetic mood leaving him behind.

"Selphie took it." he replied. "I feel…naked. But I'll get naked for Selphie _anytime_." Selphie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she stared at him incredulously.

"Irvine Kinneas!"

"Yes Sefie?" he asked gently.

"Go wash your mouth out!" Selphie scolded him. Rinoa raised a hand to cover a giggle.

"Oh Hyne, look!" Selphie exclaimed out of nowhere, her frustration with Irvine being quickly replaced by her dreaminess towards another man. "Sir Laguna's here!"

Irvine deflated.

" 'Sir Laguna'?" Melinda asked Zell in confusion.

The blonde nodded in enthusiasm. "The President of Esthar, Laguna Loire, and his close friends Kiros and Ward. It's a long story, but they helped us out a TON."

The group turned as one to see the headmaster, Cid Kramer drag his wife Edea to intercept the important man and his two advisors.

"Isn't Sir Laguna so handsome?!" Selphie swooned.

"Yeah." Irvine muttered dryly. "If you like men who are old enough to be your father!"

"Someone sounds jealous." Quistis remarked with a bark of laughter.

"What was that Quistis?" Irvine grinned at her maliciously. "You say you want a dance?"

'Wha--? I never said--"

"Sure you did." Irvine replied, grabbing the blond by the arm and hauling her out to the dance floor. Zell shook his head and shrugged in response to his date's confusion. Selphie on the other hand was so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed that Irvine had left her side. Squall just let out one long sigh.

"Poor Quistis." Rinoa chuckled.

"Damn." Squall muttered, graciously accepting a drink from a waitress. As he took a sip, it became apparent to Rinoa that his eyes hadn't left the Estharian President and his entourage, which were now moving more or less in their direction.

Rinoa found herself smiling as she examined the contours of his face. Seeing through his stone-hard mask of annoyance to the nervousness hidden deep within his dark-rimmed blue eyes.

Squall looked back at her over the rim of his glass. "What?" he asked her. That smile of hers could be infectious and he could feel it working on him.

"Did you know that you tilt your head slightly to the right when you ask a question? It's kind of cute."

"Whatever." he turned, concealing his blush and returning his attention to Laguna, who was closer now than before. Zell and Melinda quickly left to go get food--the two of them seemed to be hitting it off quite nicely--and Selphie ran off to find Irvine. That left Squall and Rinoa alone, and Squall found his attention drawn in two directions. He knew he had to pick one, and it wasn't too hard of a choice (much to his surprise).

He turned to find his light eyes meet her dark ones. He could always find comfort in those eyes, and they always seemed to carry a special warmth for him. The moment dragged on, and there was a question he meant to ask her when the sound of his name averted his attention.

"Squall," Cid spoke as he approached. "You remember President Loire."

"Laguna, I've been meaning to thank you." Squall nodded at the dark haired Estharian president. "Without your help at the Lunatic Pandora--"

Laguna waved a hand in dismissal. "Just paying back the favor. You guys got us out of a few nasty situations."

"Most of which Laguna got us into." Kiros remarked. Ward nodded his agreement.

Laguna scratched his head. "What's with the hostility? I didn't get us into that many scraps…"

Rinoa smiled at them as they recapped their past adventures (Most of which attributed to Laguna's disability to read a map), but soon found her attention drawn to the conversation going on behind her.

"…_You sure that's the sorceress that freed Adel?"_

"_Of course I'm sure! I heard that SeeD back there call her 'Rinoa'. Isn't that the Sorceress' name?"_

"_Hmm…sounds right."_

"_You idiot, don't get to close! Who knows what she could do to you…"_

Rinoa frowned. Nobody else seemed to have heard the conversation. She bit down on her lower lip, the words running through her mind. _(…The Sorceress who freed Adel…who knows what she could do…) _

Rinoa excused herself from the group, using an excuse that she hoped everyone would buy. She needed a moment to herself, to figure out her emotions. As she fled into the crowd, she didn't see Squall looking worriedly after her.

She slinked off into a corner, leaning back against one of the marble pillars for support. _(Does everybody hate me?) _She stood there alone for a moment before she had the strength to look up at the dance floor. There were many people dancing , but one pair stood out. Irvine had finally convinced Selphie to come out and dance with him, and although he was a foot taller than her she had to admit they'd make a cute couple.

_(That's what everyone thinks about Squall and I.) _She looked up at the sky through the glass dome of the ballroom.When she looked down, she could see him standing in the center of the dance floor looking for her. When their eyes met, he smiled--Rinoa loved that smile--and subtly pointed towards the sky with a questioning finger before heading her way. Rinoa embraced him as soon as he was within range, and he lifted her easily from the ground and spun her around.

"Did you see that?" he asked as he set her back down on the marble floor. "The shooting star?"

"You did not see a shooting star."

"Sure I did."

"Liar." Rinoa replied with a halfhearted smile.

"Rinoa…" Squall raised a hand to wipe away the tears glistening from her eyes, and she broke down into his arms, the only true thing that could bring her comfort.

"They hate me, Squall."

Squall gently caressed her hair as he held her, searching for the right words to say. _(Three months ago I wouldn't have given a damn what I said…you've changed me so much, Rinoa.) _

"They…they don't understand what's going on, Rinoa. They don't know who to hate." _(They should hate Ultimecia…they should hate Seifer. But never you Rinoa…)_

"You were busy with the Headmaster, and with Laguna." Rinoa seemed to have calmed somewhat, wiping her eyes and taking a step back. Her hands came up to rest on her necklace, and the two rings held there. "I was scared…so I came here. I guess this was the only place where I thought I could find some comfort."

"This is where we met." Squall observed, remembering the day fondly. Rinoa had been wearing the same dress that she now wore. She looked just as beautiful now, despite her dried tears. It didn't escape his notice that the same music was playing as they had danced to that day. He reached out, taking her hand. "Rinoa, dance with me?"

Her jaw dropped in shock as he dragged her to the center of the floor, but she smiled as they moved into position. Squall smiled back down at her as they started to waltz. The steps came much more easily than they had the last time, Squall being in total ease with her. For a moment he forgot all about the other people in the room, and it was just him and Rinoa dancing. Dancing on the clouds…

**A/N: Awwww how cute! Anyways, chapter 3 is in the works but it doesn't get posted until I see reviews between this account and my DeviantArt one. Also if you really like it my DA journal is always full of spoilers. Check it out at http://jenkimimay. Thanks muches! You can also join a great Final fantasy RPG at Okay, enough shameless plugging for one night. Hope you all enjoyed!**

Special thanks to those people who commented on this chapter. I took your advice and did a reformat. XD  


**So, how do you think the press conference will go? Will it be a sucess or a failure? What will the press' reaction be to the events of the past year? Find out in chapter three!**


	3. Chapter 3: Bad News

**Disclaimer: I won Final Fantasy VIII in a game of Texas Hold Em last night. Unfortunatly I lost them in the next hand. (I knew I should have folded with a pair of tens!) Don't worry, Zell's teaching me how to win them back. Mwhahahaha. In the meantime, copyright goes to SquareEnix.**

**Author's Notes: Squall makes a joke. Watch for it or you might just miss it . **

**Without further ado:**

**Fated Circle**

**Chapter Three:**

**Bad News**

"So far, the party's been a HUGE success!" Selphie boasted, excitedly walking backwards through the empty halls of Balamb Garden. "At the last count, we made over twenty thousand gil!"

"Whoa!" Zell exclaimed, as impressed as anyone in the group. "Really?"

"I'm sure that will go a long way towards the rebuilding of Trabia Garden." Rinoa assured them both with a warm smile. "Won't it Squall?"

Everyone looked to him with eyes full of hope as they rode the elevator down to the first floor lobby. Selphie had grown up in Trabia, and was devastated when everybody had arrived too late to evacuate it before a strategic missile strike by Sorceress Edea. Edea had been possessed by Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future, at the time. Zell felt responsible for the missile strike because he had been the one to accidentally leak out who had been behind the would-be assassination attempts on the late Galbadian President, Vinzer Deiling, and in a round-about way felt that if he hadn't the Sorceress would not have attacked the Garden. Squall understood that only by rebuilding Trabia Garden could Zell start to erase some of his guilt. Selphie hoped that one day the Garden could one day house young students again.

Both of them knew that Squall would tell them the truth, no matter how horrifying that realization may be, or how callous it was in the telling. The truth was, it would take a lot more than twenty thousand gil to rebuild the devastated Garden. That being said, the party had raised a lot more money than he thought it would. "Good job, Selphie."

She beamed, rocking back and forth on her heels as the group stepped out of the elevator and continued their walk towards the dormitory. Quistis rose a hand to cover up a yawn.

"Better get some sleep tonight Commander. You have to be up bright and early for that press conference.

_(Quistis…damnit.)_ Squall threw her a tired glance.

"I thought headmaster Cid was going to the press conference?" Irvine asked.

"He felt that Squall could handle it better since Cid was in Centra the past six months."

"Poor Squall." Rinoa frowned. Everyone knew how much Squall hated making speeches. "So where do we meet up in the morning?"

"Huh?" Squall asked, baffled. He stopped in his tracks, and the others stopped with him, Melinda stopping a little late and feeling slightly out of place.

"The train station?"

Squall looked down at her from behind his dark bangs. "You're not going, Rinoa." He told her before looking to everyone else. "None of you are."

"But you're going into Galbadian Territory, right?" Irvine asked with a frown. "Could be dangerous."

"Irvine's right." Quistis stepped in. "Galbadia's unstable right now, and with all the factions vying for control---especially in Timber, no offense Rinoa--"

"Absolutely none taken."

"--Galbadia is the last place a SeeD should go alone."

"No!" he argued with a sweeping motion of his hand. "You're all going to Balamb like we planned. You guys deserve this vacation, and I'm not going to deny you any part of it!"

There was a moment of silence, everyone taken aback by the sudden harshness in Squall's voice.

"See guys?" Rinoa commented all grin. "I told you that underneath his cold exterior Squall really cares about us."

"Whatever. I'll be fine on my own." Squall sighed, massaging his eyes. "I'll catch up with you in Balamb when it's all over."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_His gunblade came down, falling the last of the monsters they'd encounter in the castle. They had reached it at last,an oversized door made of thick, engraved oak beyond which lie the very thing they had come here to find._

_The person they had come to destroy. _

_Taking position on one side of the door, his gloved hand motioned his blond friend over. The martial artist nodded his understanding. He backed up, and then ran forward kicking the door hard with the heel at his sneakers. Once more, and the lock snapped, clearing the way for the SeeD to enter. _

_He felt his hands tighten on Lionheart as they entered and saw her---really saw her for the first time. She sat regally on her throne high above them. She had long feathery wings that would have better suited an angel. Her eyes fluttered open, a vivid yellow that sent a shudder through him. They weren't yellow like sunshine, or the daffodils that lined the Quad of Balamb Garden. No, they were acidic, as if staring too long into their depths could burn away your very soul._

_He saw Rinoa tense beside him, her brown eyes filled with fear, and her Shooting Star aimed with a shakey arm at the Sorceress' head. His heart went to her. Before them was the woman who had caused them so much trouble.  
Seifer had been the first casualty in the war she had begun when she had traveled through time to possess Matron Edea. She had lured the SeeD candidate into her web and made him her knight. Then when Rinoa had tried to suppress the woman's powers in Galbadia Ultimecia decided to use her as a sacrifice to bless the start of her reign of terror, and if Squall hadn't been there she would have succeeded. Weeks later when Edea was defeated at Galbadia Garden Ultimecia had transferred herself into Rinoa, placing her in a coma and eventually possessing her and using her to free Sorceress Adel from her prison. Then the Sorceress had left the scared girl floating in space to die._

_This was the Sorceress that had caused him so much trouble, so much death…_

A hand brushed his hair, waking him from his dream. His stormy eyes fluttered open, dreamily staring up at the face that stared down at his own. "Rinoa?" he muttered, still half-asleep. His body stiffened as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. "I-is everything alright?" he slurred.  
Rinoa nodded nervously. "Huh? Oh yeah, it's nothing like that, it's just…"

He could see that something was bothering her, and as much as the old Squall would have sent her flying to the door with a thinly veiled threat, the new Squall was concerned with the look in her eyes. "Wh-what is it?" he asked, putting his elbows beneath him with the intention of sitting, but Rinoa hovering above him prevented him from doing that.

Rinoa frowned, then looked away. "I don't know…it's probably just me being childish."

"Probably." Squall agreed, causing her to give him a look that was both hurt and betrayed. "But it's bothering you, so what is it?"

"I…I couldn't sleep."

Squall furrowed his brows. "Because of what those bastards said before?"

Rinoa thought about that. "Maybe they had something to do with it." She admitted. "But everytime I went to sleep I kept dreaming about Ultimecia." She sighed, sitting down on the bed beside him, and he scooted over to make room for her. "It just seems like every time I close my eyes I see her eyes, or hear her laugh in my ears like I did when she was inside my body. It…it scares me, Squall."  
Squall looked at her in a mixture of surprise and concern. "I was just dreaming of our battle with her." He confided in her. "It seems that the whole Time Compression is playing itself out piece by piece."  
The tired girl groaned. "Because living it the first time through wasn't enough." They were silent for a long moment, each of them trying to work something out in their own minds before she spoke again. "Squall…can I stay here tonight?"  
"What?"  
Rinoa's face soured. "Just tonight, please? I just…want to be near you." Her warm brown eyes were pleading, her lips turning just ever so slightly into a pout. He was debating it for a long moment, logic screaming in his ears that this wasn't proper. The rules clearly stated that men weren't to dorm with women, even on the SeeD end of the dorms. Granted he had turned a blind eye when he had seen SeeD emerge from their partners rooms early in the mornings in something he had come to call the walk of shame, but Squall had never thought he'd be breaking that particular rule. Reason said he was the Commander, and he needed to set an example for his subordinates.  
But as Squall watched her, half pleading half pouting, sitting on the side of his bed in her pajamas, he also knew that the raven-haired princess was seeking his comfort because it was something she needed. Something she wanted on an emotional level. And he had to admit to himself that he wanted it to. He needed the comfort she had to offer him, and on some primal level he wanted to feel the warmth of her body beside him. He wanted her face to be the first thing he saw when he woke up.  
Not that he expected anything adventurous to happen over the course of the evening. The idea that something adventurous _could happen_ with the dark-haired beauty (more likely somewhere down the line) brought the blood rushing to his face.  
Reason, or emotional desire. He had to choose now. Argh, screw reason. He was the Commander, and if anybody wanted to comment he knew they'd be making that argument from the business end of Lionheart. Rinoa needed to be near him, and much as he refused to admit it, he needed to be near her. "Whatever…" he said, making room for her to curl up at his side. "But just this once."  
Rinoa nodded enthusiastically, slipping under the covers and resting her head on the pillow near his shoulder. "Just this once." she agreed.  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart was racing, and he needed to relax if he was ever going to sleep.

'Squall, you're going to have to talk about me at the Press Conference, aren't you?"

"Probably."

Rinoa signed and closed her eyes. ''Everyone's going to hate me."

"You didn't free Adel, she did."

"I know, you know, all of our friends know, but is everyone else really going to believe that I was possessed by a Sorceress who

isn't even born yet?"

"I can't make them believe what I say; I can only tell them the truth and give them the opportunity."

"You're really deep sometimes, you know that?"

"...Whatever." A small grin spread across Rinoa's peaceful face.

''Squall, I really don't like the idea of you going into Galbadia alone."

"...I'll be fine."

"Yeah... but it doesn't hurt to be safe right? Could you at least let one of us come with you? Even if it isn't me…"  
"Rinoa…"

"I'm sure Quistis wouldn't mind going, or Zell…"  
"If I say I'll take someone will you let me sleep?" He felt her nod against his arm. "Fine, I'll take Quistis then."  
"Thank you Squall." He felt her warm breath against his shoulder as she fell asleep beside him. He reached a hand over to pull the blanket over her bare arms and stared at her angelic face for a few long moments before sleep gently took him as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Associated Press: thank you all for coming this morning." Squall stood stiffly at the podium in his dress uniform, wishing he could be anywhere but in the sight of the large cameras. He tried not to think of the millions of people sitting home to watch him on their home televisions. "As you all know it's been exactly one year since anyone has broadcast from Timber Station, and we'd like to ensure you that despite last year's conflicts, you are all safe within the studio."

This brought a short laugh from the crowd, who seemed a bit nervous for reporters, and Squall was glad that Quistis had suggested the joke.

"We have invited General Caraway of Galbadia and President Laguna Loire of Esthar to join us today so that we could bring the general public up to date on the events of the past year."

Squall stared solemnly at the cameras as he began to summarize the events that took place in the most defining year of his life. "With the help of Balamb Garden's SeeD, President Loire, and the people of Esthar, as well as Edea Kramer---"

"Hold on," Someone brandishing a notepad and a cap hailing Timber Maniacs raised his hand to stall Squall's statement. "Isn't Edea the Sorceress' name?"

"At the time of this conflict, Edea Kramer was under the influence of a Sorceress born generations in the future." Squall clarified. "A year ago, Seifer Almasy, a former student of Balamb Garden stood here as he drew arms against Galbadian President Vinzer Deiling in an unsanctioned act of violence. A SeeD team within the city led by myself confronted him within this station. He was also here confronted by Sorceress Edea who lured him away from my team and disappeared with him."

The press conference went terribly.

Squall pressed on past the questions of the reporters, and the crowd had to be warned several times not to interrupt the speaker with questions, but to wait until Squall was finished. The conference went on in a similar fashion, all three representatives jumping in where they were needed. Then, finally it was over.

Squall breathed out a sigh of relief as he headed backstage, glad that verbal battle was now over. He felt a hand grab him roughly by the shoulder and he turned to see a strong fist heading on a collision course with his left cheekbone. Having not anticipated the attack, he didn't have time to block. It sent him reeling backwards into a refreshment stand which toppled over leaving the commander to land on his rear in the mess. "This is all your fault. You dragged her into this mess."

"General Caraway!" Quistis exclaimed as she tried to step between the two of them.

"Are you happy, _Commander_ Leonhart? You saw them out there---they all fear and hate her."

"They fear her because they don't know any better" Quistis answered for him.

"They fear her because of what she is! And she wouldn't be a sorceress if it wasn't for him!"

"Hey---uh, what's going on in here?" Laguna scratched his head. He extended a hand to Squall, but he ignored it, standing on his own.

"Nothing." he answered, turning his back on them all.

Caraway snickered, "You know the truth as well as I do!"

Squall stiffened, Quistis glancing at him in an expression of sympathy. "You want the truth?" he turned around, glaring at Caraway from behind his dark bangs. "The truth is, nobody forced Rinoa to do anything against her will. Rinoa does what she feels is right, and nobody--not you, or I can stop her. If you're so set on placing blame on someone, Rinoa never would have come in contact with SeeD if she didn't join a resistance movement to get away from _you_.

Squall's remark was unexpected "That doesn't concern you. That's our problem."

"Then don't make it mine."

"Would you tell her---"

Squall shook his head. _(You've gotta be joking…) _"If you have something to tell her, you can tell her yourself. Like you said, that's none of my business."

Laguna watched in confusion as the man stalked out the door ignoring the angry protests of the Galbadian General, a distraught Quistis close behind. He turned to look at the General with disappointed eyes.

"Don't look at me like that Loire." Caraway remarked, flexing his hand. "I don't have time to deal with you now."

For reasons that were his own, Laguna felt the sudden urge to knock the aging General back to Deiling.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The news came in early on Saturday when Seifer stood to accept his morning meal. The Estharian guards had been neutral towards him up until this point out of respect for their president, Laguna Loire, hero of the first Sorceress War, but as the guard handed him his morning gruel he leaned over and whispered bitterly. "Looks like you're finally going to get what you deserve kid." Seifer felt his blood run cold. "Maybe all of those people who died because of you will finally be able to rest."

_(Galbadia!) _It hit him. _(I'm going to be transferred to Galbadia.)_ He would be tortured, tried, and executed. Not necessarily in that order either. He would be all alone through it all, without Laguna, Matron or Ultimecia to coddle him through it all.

_Poor, poor boy._

He had failed her, that's why he was here. Or was it that Ultimecia had failed him? He hadn't felt so mixed up in a year, when he failed his SeeD exam. He had decided to help the Forest Owls in their goal to liberate Timber. At the time he thought he was doing it for Rinoa, but now it seemed he had only needed an outlet for his anger, and President Deiling had been it.

_Such a confused young boy._

He accomplished his goal to help the Owls in a roundabout way. He protected Ultimecia in Galbadia, and Ultimecia murdered President Deiling. He hadn't realized that made him an accessory to murder until Raijin and Fujin later pointed it out.

_Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide._

What to do now? Arranging an escape wouldn't be too hard if Raijin and Fujin didn't hate him so much. He couldn't blame them. What he had done was horrible. Maybe he should face the crimes he had committed. Maybe he deserved to die. He wasn't sure.

_The boy in you is telling you to come. The adult in you is telling you to back off. You can't make up your mind. You know the right answer. You want help don't you? You want to be saved from this predicament? Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Besides, you're only a little boy…._

**A/N: Creepy. This kid defiantly needs a friend, and I don't mean an evil Sorceress. So how about that little punch, huh, huh? Who knew Caraway had it in him. Almost wish I had Laguna beat him up though -  
**

**So what do you think will happen next? What will Seifer do? How will Rinoa cope with the misplaced hatred? Will Laguna ever get up the nerve to say what he so desperately wants to say? Will the group be able to make it through an entire weekend in Balamb, work-free? Find out in Chapter four!**

**Also if you really like it my DA journal is always full of spoilers. Check it out at ****http://jenkimimay. Thanks muches! You can also join a great Final fantasy RPG at Thanks to all the people who've been reading! I was surprised to see how many hits this story had. And don't be afraid to leave me a review! Don't be shy, reviews are the feed that get the little chocobo in my head to run, causing the gears to spin which in turn leads to more chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Power of Letters

**Disclaimer: All Zell's card-gaming tips are worth about as much as a deck of cheap cards. Needless to say I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or it's affiliates.  
**

**Zell: Frickin' Hell! Don't blame me for you're horrible skills!**

**Jenki: Keep it up Zell and you won't get your happily ever after. I hold you're life in the palm of my hands mister Dincht!**

**Zell: punches floor. House shakes.**

**Author's Notes: Is there…GASP Action in this chapter? Must've gotten past the fluff filter. Oh wells, without further ado:**

**Fated Circle**

**Chapter Four:**

**The Power of Letters**

The blond sighed as she walked over to the hall and asked the nearest attendant for some ice. The train attendant returned a moment later and Quistis reentered the room reserved for the SeeD. She sighed, walking over to the couch where Squall was sitting, gently touching at tender areas of skin around his left eye, and trying not to wince as he did so. "Here," she said, handing the ice-pack to him. "Wow, he got you good."  
"…Whatever." He said, taking the ice from her and applying it to his eye. He rested one elbow on his knee, the other arm holding up the ice. He was quiet for a moment, lost in thought when he realized that Quistis was still standing in front of him, arms crossed expectantly. He looked up and met her ice blue eyes. "What?"  
"You're not seriously considering what he said, are you?"

"What?"

Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes. "What the General said about Rinoa…and about it being your fault."

Squall shook his head. "I don't know."

"He was just looking for someone to blame."

"… I think he may have been right." The former instructor looked at him perplexed. "I think it was part my fault, part Rinoa's….and part…" Squall frowned. "I don't want to say 'fate' because I'm not sure I believe in fate."

Quistis thought about that for a moment before responding. "You're wrong. It wasn't your fault or Rinoa's. Neither of you knew what was going to happen---none of us did. I think that if blame needs to be placed, Ultimecia's the only one it could be placed on."

Squall opened his mouth to respond when the train came to a stop. He pulled the ice from his eye. "Is it noticeable?"

"Don't worry, that color works perfectly with your eyes." She laughed.

"…Damnit."

"Loosen up a little Squall. It's just a bruise."  
"It's not the bruise I'm worried about."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Headmaster?" Cid Kramer heard the sing-song voice of his assistant coming from outside his office.  
"Come on in Xu." The graying man replied, standing and putting his hands in his pockets as she walked in, and saluted. "What needs my attention?" he asked in that fatherly tone of his.  
"I found this on my desk this morning, and I thought you might want to see it." She was smiling from ear to ear as she pulled a paper out from behind her back and extended it to him. He pulled his right hand from his pocket to accept it.

_To: The office of Headmaster Cid Kramer_

_Balamb Garden, Balamb Township_

_Attached: Letter of Recommendation, Cmdr. Squall Leonhart; Chart_

_Headmaster Cid, I've been thinking for a while now about my current situation. Out of all the people who entered the time compression (with the exception of our client Rinoa Heartilly), it's come to my attention that I am the only person who is still considered a student, and I thought that all considered it might be about time to rectify that situation._

_I know that Galbadia Garden conducts its own SeeD tests, but with all considered I'm not sure I want to return to being stationed under Headmaster Martine. He used my skills, along with those of your SeeD team assigned to Miss Heartilly to try to assassinate Matron without your knowledge, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how much I hate being used. It's for these reasons that I've decided to request a transfer from Galbadia Garden, with hopes of being stationed here in Balamb Garden._

_As for me becoming a SeeD….I already saved the world once, why not get paid to do it next time? I've attached a chart showing just how much money I should have been paid for my services since I left Galbadia Garden, basing the amounts on the salaries of the SeeD I was accompanying. I suggest that if you feel the need to repay me for my valiant services and hard work feels free to do so in ammo or women. Or you could send the rather large sum to the Timber Garden rebuilding, as there's a spunky little brunette girl who's been frowning a little too much for my liking._

_And while we're on the topic maybe we can just skip the SeeD exam and move straight into my promotion?_

_Sincerely,_

_Irvine Kinneas_

_Galbadia's Greatest Sharpshooter._

"He drew a topless woman in the margin" Headmaster Cid pointed out.

"Yes..." Xu agreed. "But even I have to admit it's well drawn.''

The headmaster sighed deeply. "I don't know what we're going to do about that cowboy."

"In his defense," Xu said, clasping her hands behind her back. "He has mellowed out a lot since he's been helping out with the Garden Festival committee. I think he has a thing for Selphie Tilmitt which is, at the very least keeping him out of trouble with the other girls here."

"You just think he's charming."  
"He _is_ fun to work with." Xu said hesitantly. "Not sure _charming_ is the word I'd use."

"So you think we should accept his transfer?"  
"With all due respect, Headmaster, I think _you_ want to accept his transfer. You just want to make sure you have support."

"I knew there was a reason I gave you such a high ranking." Cid Kramer grinned and looked out the window. "Irvine may be Irvine….but that makes him just as endearing as he is frustrating. I suppose it's time to give Headmaster Martine a call."

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"Squall!" Almost before Squall had exited the train, Rinoa was up in his arms, her own wrapped around his neck as he lifted her gently from the ground. Quistis laughed lightheartedly at the sight, but Squall just hugged his princess closer to him.

It didn't matter what Caraway said. He and Rinoa were meant to be together.

"Hey Rin." Squall whispered in her ear. His warm breath sent an excited chill down her spine, and she could almost hear his smile. He breathed in the smell of her shampoo as he held her an inch above the ground. "Miss me?"

"How could I not?" Rinoa responded with a smile. "And you know you missed me too, so don't even pretend you didn't." Over Rinoa's shoulder he could see Irvine giving him a thumbs up. Squall rolled his eyes at the cowboy and set Rinoa gently back on the ground. Rinoa smiled at him sweetly for a moment before her expression turned sour. "Squall…what happened to your eye?!"  
Squall frowned. "It's nothing, just a bruise."

Rinoa reached up to touch the tender flesh. "Whoa man, who the hell socked you?!" Zell asked in disbelief.

"General Caraway and I got into a little argument."  
Rinoa stepped back, staring at him is disbelief. "A _little_ argument? And he _hit_ you?"

The brunette placed one hand on his hip, gesturing with the other. "Rinoa, it's alright. I took care of it."

"No, it's not alright!" The raven-haired woman fumed. "I'm going to take the next train to Deiling City and give that man a piece of my mind…"

"Rin, it's okay—"

"No it's not! That man needs to mind his own business! He has no right laying one finger on you—"  
"Rin!" he took her by the shoulders, and looked down at her. "It's alright. I'm okay. Let's just enjoy our vacation, alright?"  
Rinoa nodded solemnly.

"Uh, before we do that, here's you're copy of the letter I sent to the headmaster. I took the liberty of attaching you're recommendation." Irvine drawled.

Squall took a moment to scan the document before he blinked and looked up at his friend. "You attached my recommendation to ithis/i?"

"Why, what's wrong with it?" he asked defensively.

"…Nevermind."

"Alright!" The cowboy tipped his hat, grinning optimistically. "So what're we doing? Beach or Movies?" Irvine had some rather pleasant images going through his mind at either prospect. He could be with Selphie, cuddling up beside him in a dark theater, or he could enjoy the sweet vision of his spunky little brunette in a bathing suit. It was a win-win situation to him.

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He watched the armored trucks pull up in front of the prison

from behind his barred window. His jaw set, his brown eyes scanning over them evaluatingly. When the guards entered the cell-block he was still standing there like that.

"I think it's just a little late to try to think up an escape plan, Almasy." his normal guard informed him, causing the new ones to laugh. "And it's a little futile to indulge the notion that you'll ever see the light of day again."

A grin spread slowly across Seifer's face, but with his back turned from them they didn't have the privledge of seeing it. The guard that was trying to goad him into a fight suddenly frowned when he realized it wasn't working and beat his nightstick against the bars. "Almasy, you alive?"  
His grin widened. _(Amateur antagonist…)_  
"Not for long." One of the other guards snickered, causing the rest of them to laugh.

Seifer finally turned, looking to the disgruntled guard that had tried to provoke a fight before. "Hey look, Captain Dickhead's here to visit. Come to see me off?"  
The heavy guard snickered and threw him his clothes. "Put em on. So how do you think they'll execute ya? Electric chair? Lethal Injection maybe? Personally I hope they get _creative_ with you, if you know what I mean."

Seifer gave him a cocky grin as he pulled on his trench coat. "And what makes you think they're going to execute me?"

The guard looked at him a long moment, trying to see if he was joking. He was surprised to see that the kid was dead serious. "Yeah right. This is Galbadia we're talking about. They're the kind who shoot first and ask questions later. Any last requests before they make grilled cheese outta you, cause Rex three cells over just keeps goin on about what a fine piece of ass he thinks you are."  
Seifer rolled his eyes in annoyance, then picked up a piece of paper from his bed, rolled it up and threw it at the man. "Give that to Laguna, will you Dickhead?"  
"Yeah, sure. I'll deliver yer love letter to the President." The guards entered the cell then, cuffing his wrists and ankles to each other and led him outside to the prisoner transport vehicles. The Esthar military wasn't being stupid, that was for sure. Eight guards escorted him out, all fully armed. Seifer could think of a few choice ways to kill Dickhead and company with those chains, but he doubted these guys would care much. Even if he took the guy hostage they'd probably shoot right through his blubber to kill Seifer. They hated him that much. No, nothing short of Hyperion was going to get the gunbladist out of this situation. So Seifer Almasy went with the only option available to him: sit back and enjoy the ride. He let them stick him in the car, although he stood firm when they decided not to be gentle. As they drove through Esthar and into the surrounding mountains he began to feel himself grow nervous. It had been hours, and nothing of note happened besides a cramp in his leg and a pain on his wrist.

Still, the guard sitting across from him thought the former Sorceress' Knight was too calm for his liking.

Then as Seifer stared out the window he finally saw the silver glint he had been looking for. His trained eyes saw it leave a tanned hand just within range and lance out, hitting the back tire of the first car in the escort. The car spun out as the tire popped under the pressure of the weighted staff, the driver unable to control it.  
Seifer grinned smugly. Raijin had been practicing.

A chackram was thrown, hitting the tire on the last car, and then there was a thud as feet hit metal on the top of his car.  
"They're above us!" One of the guards exclaimed, and they all rose leaving a laughing Seifer chained to the bench seat in the back of the truck. They opened the double doors leaving the gunblade weilder blinded in the sudden light. A familiar chackram came down, slicing across one of the guard's armor only to be followed by pressure in his shoulders as Fujin jumped off the roof of the car and square into him. The other two guards aimed their rifles at her and she quickly retrieved her weapon and sliced up at the second guard with fury. The third guard's fingers had barely tapped the trigger as Seifer extended his hands and let a fire-spell that hit Dickhead full on in the back, launching him forward into the bumper of the third car. There was a loud crack before the man fell to the ground unconscious.

It was only then that the pale girl fixed her crimson eyes at him. One was covered by a patch, but he imagined it held the same fire as the one he now saw. "YOU!"  
"Hey Fuu, I was beginning to wonder if you guys were comin'!"

Raijin walked over with his staff in his hand. "Got your letter, y'know?

"ANGRY."

"I think she's mad at you, you know?"

"No, I hadn't gotten that impression." the blond said sarcastically... "Fujin, I wasn't trying to break up the posse."

"DID."

"Awww c'mon, don't be like that Fujin. Besides, you wouldn't have busted this shit up for me if you didn't care about my well-being."

The silver-haired woman thought that over. "We didn't want to see you executed...again."

''I know Fuj, I know.''

"…You're still an idiot."

Seifer frowned, sobering. "Yeah…I'm sorry."

"FORGIVEN!"

"Yeah, just don't get like that again." Raijin told him. "We was real worried bout 'cha, ya know?"

"Would you stop talking like an idiot? Damn...alright where are

we headed?"

"HIDE."

"Yeah, it probably would be best if we laid low for a while." Seifer looked down at his hands. "Hey, would one of you get over here and unchain me? And somebody'd better grab Hyperion from the other cars before they decide to explode or something." Raijin went to retrieve his leader's precious gunblade, leaving Fujin to undo his bindings with keys she pulled off one of the guards. "So where've you guys been since the Pandora? Laying low?"  
"GARDEN."

"Oh…" Seifer rubbed at his wrists as they were freed. "So they let you guys back huh? Don't suppose this was sanctioned…"  
"WASN'T." She told him as she reached out to touch his wrists. "HURT?"  
"Nah, I'm fine…I've been through worse than this."

"You…are more depressed than I'm used to." She told him, in one of her rare cases of using actual sentences. "Usually you'd have kicked Raijin by now."  
Seifer looked at her a moment before seeing the mischief in her eyes. He finally laughed. "I figure if I wait I'll savor it more. We've got plenty of time to test that theory out on the road to wherever we're going."

"ANTICIPATION." She replied with a grin.

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**A/N: Irvine: So which is it? Beach or Movies?  
Jenki: Irvy! It's not for me to decide! It's for our viewers to!  
Irvine: Ah, I see! You're tryin' to get them involved.**

**Jenki: Takes a real genius to figure that one out Cowboy. Anyways, I'm sure Irvine would love to hear you're other ideas for what they could do vacationing in Balamb!**

**Irvine: By the way…what was wrong with my letter anyways?**

**Jenki: -; uh…nothing! Nothing at all…next time have someone look over the important documentation before you send it in though okay? And how bout that Seifer? Craziness!**

**Special thanks to **_**Hououza **_**who's been reading from the start! Thanks so much for your enthusiasm! I'm glad to see you getting into the plot. Did I mention there's a plot:P**

**Also thanks to **_**Selphie Irvy, –X-Loner-X-Starlight-X-**_** and **_**Spirit of Sorrow**_** for the reviews on chapter 3! You're reviews got me writing this chapter so fast! **


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